Crown XLS 1502 amp Impression

[lovinthehd]

Small world. The 590's seem to be fine with my Denon 4400H but some of these piss poor Disney UHD releases have bad audio mixes and I am really pushing the AVR. I haven't had any issues but, well, I like to buy audio and video gear and I am all set for awhile so why not buy an amp with the next bonus

I use a 4520 with mine, but I don't have all three across the front, that would be sweet (have a 520C, 580s for surrounds, 530s for rear surrounds). One of these amps or two? Not like these really break the bank or anything....

 

[ack_bak]

I use a 4520 with mine, but I don't have all three across the front, that would be sweet (have a 520C, 580s for surrounds, 530s for rear surrounds). One of these amps or two? Not like these really break the bank or anything....

I would need two to power all three 590's. Worst case if they don't add any value I can sell them for minimal loss.

 

[rgbbhat72]

Dear Folks with Crown XLS 1502

I was planning to buy the Crown Drivecore Series 2 1502 Model to drive my new B&W 603s with pre outs from my Yamaha Aventage A870. Mainly for Movies as centre is B&W HTM6. Room is around 150 Sqft

Can u pls advise whether it would be a big difference to use it for Left & Rights or just use it for the Centre.
Also is there any way i can use this to drive L R and Centre - Aware it is a 2 Channel Power amp But wondering whether i can harness so much power by getting it to run 3 speakers. 1 Channel for L&R and 1 for Center Channel
Newbie question so pls troll humorously where required

 

[Verdinut]

Dear Folks with Crown XLS 1502

I was planning to buy the Crown Drivecore Series 2 1502 Model to drive my new B&W 603s with pre outs from my Yamaha Aventage A870. Mainly for Movies as centre is B&W HTM6. Room is around 150 Sqft

Can u pls advise whether it would be a big difference to use it for Left & Rights or just use it for the Centre.
Also is there any way i can use this to drive L R and Centre - Aware it is a 2 Channel Power amp But wondering whether i can harness so much power by getting it to run 3 speakers. 1 Channel for L&R and 1 for Center Channel
Newbie question so pls troll humorously where required

The Crown amp is a 2 channel unit and can be used to drive only two separate channels. You could use your receiver amp to drive the center channel, but you could eventually get a second 1502 to drive the center channel by using only one channel though.

I know that the Bowers & Wilkins are demanding on power amps because of their impedance dipping to 3 ohms at low frequencies, but your listening room is rather small.

The important question is: Do you find that the Yamaha A870 struggles when driving the 603s? If the quality of the sound you have been hearing is adequate at your usual listening sound levels, you won't get any audible improvement by using external amplification.

Please don't hesitate to ask again should you need additional clarification.

 

[rgbbhat72]

The Crown amp is a 2 channel unit and can be used to drive only two separate channels. You could use your receiver amp to drive the center channel, but you could eventually get a second 1502 to drive the center channel by using only one channel though.

I know that the Bowers & Wilkins are demanding on power amps because of their impedance dipping to 3 ohms at low frequencies, but your listening room is rather small.

The important question is: Do you find that the Yamaha A870 struggles when driving the 603s? If the quality of the sound you have been hearing is adequate at your usual listening sound levels, you won't get any audible improvement by using external amplification.

Please don't hesitate to ask again should you need additional clarification.

Thank you Sir!!. I do not play too loud music so I am not unable to say whether it struggles but i was looking at a more fuller sound probably or more detail if there is any in the track.
2 Channel amp driving 3 Speakers- Thought likewise but was reading on connecting speakers in parallel ( hope i am using the right term) where from the same source we can connect multiple speakers. But what u suggest makes sense. getting another amp for it.
you won't get any audible improvement by using external amplification- This was probably what i was looking for and hence probably if they allow me to test the receiver at home i can check for myself.
Will a power amp also add its own signature to the yamaha sound or will it just take the yamaha amp and amplify it and send it to the speakers? While I am happy with the present arrangement, i dont want to deteriorate the sound as the Crown is a PA Amp.
Thank you once again.

 

[Verdinut]

Thank you Sir!!. I do not play too loud music so I am not unable to say whether it struggles but i was looking at a more fuller sound probably or more detail if there is any in the track.
2 Channel amp driving 3 Speakers- Thought likewise but was reading on connecting speakers in parallel ( hope i am using the right term) where from the same source we can connect multiple speakers. But what u suggest makes sense. getting another amp for it.
you won't get any audible improvement by using external amplification- This was probably what i was looking for and hence probably if they allow me to test the receiver at home i can check for myself.
Will a power amp also add its own signature to the yamaha sound or will it just take the yamaha amp and amplify it and send it to the speakers? While I am happy with the present arrangement, i dont want to deteriorate the sound as the Crown is a PA Amp.
Thank you once again.

First, when you connect 2 speakers in parallel on an amplifier, you cannot get the sound signal of two separate channels. Signals from left and right channels are not identical otherwise you would get a monophonic sound.

Secondly, if you did connect 2 B & W 603s in parallel to the same amplifier, the combined speaker impedance would dip to 1.5 ohms,. Not many amplifiers can drive such low impedances and it could be catastrophic for many of them. The Yamaha receiver would get into protection mode and stop amplifying.

If an amplifier has a sound signature, then it's not doing a proper job. An amplifier should just increase the incoming voltage without adding anything to the incoming signal. If two power amplifiers are driven within their designed rated limits, there shouldn't be any audible difference. Don't believe hearsay and info that is written in audiophool magazines. Pro audio amplifiers such as the Crown XLS series products don't have a sound signature. Several members on this site use them in their home theater systems.

If you try any receiver to drive your B & W speakers, leave the speaker impedance switch to 8 ohms contrarily to what the manufacturer suggests. Otherwise, using the 4 ohm position would reduce the amplifier's output rail voltage resulting in reduced available power.

Here is info on setting impedance switch:

Setting the A/V Receiver Impedance Selector Switch

This article explores the purpose and function of the impedance switch found on some A/V receivers. Tradeoffs of following manufacturers recommended settings are also discussed. YouTube video inside.

www.audioholics.com

 

[KEW]

I was planning to buy the Crown Drivecore Series 2 1502 Model to drive my new B&W 603s with pre outs from my Yamaha Aventage A870. Mainly for Movies as centre is B&W HTM6. Room is around 150 Sqft

I know that the Bowers & Wilkins are demanding on power amps because of their impedance dipping to 3 ohms at low frequencies, but your listening room is rather small.

The important question is: Do you find that the Yamaha A870 struggles when driving the 603s? If the quality of the sound you have been hearing is adequate at your usual listening sound levels, you won't get any audible improvement by using external amplification.

Unfortunately, Gene found the Yamaha A860 (which is likely the exact same amp section as the A870) to be a singularly poor performing AVR when he measured it.
Making things worse, the pre-out is also weak.
Here are his comments:

However, I don't like how offering all of these features has caused compromises in the most important area, POWER. While the RX-A860 is fine driving small bass-managed 8 ohm speakers, this is the first time I'd actually caution people against using 4 ohm speakers or even running 8 ohm tower speakers on the “large” setting. I’ve never said this about a Yamaha before. It's sad that a $400 predecessor from the very same company offered a more robust amp and power section than this product, which has AVENTAGE moniker stamped on it. To pour further salt on the power wound, the preamp out section of this receiver is a bit weak, making it critical to match with a high gain amplifier to ensure the preamp itself doesn't clip while driving external amplification. I'd like to see Yamaha beef up the amp section so the current limiting could be a little less restrictive and for God's sake, please give us a clean 2Vrms output from the pre-outs of ALL your AV receivers!

Yamaha RX-A860 AVENTAGE 7.2 Atmos/DTS:X A/V Receiver Review

The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A860 7.2CH Atmos/DTS:X AV receiver is packed with excellent networking features but it does fall short on power delivery making our recommendation conditional based on usage.

www.audioholics.com

I'm not sure if the Crown would qualify as a "high gain" amplifier. It seems like 28dB gain or better was recommended for the A860, but I don't know if the Crown fits that criteria!
Hopefully someone with better knowledge on this topic can comment!

 

[Verdinut]

Unfortunately, Gene found the Yamaha A860 (which is likely the exact same amp section as the A870) to be a singularly poor performing AVR when he measured it.
Making things worse, the pre-out is also weak.
Here are his comments:

Yamaha RX-A860 AVENTAGE 7.2 Atmos/DTS:X A/V Receiver Review

The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A860 7.2CH Atmos/DTS:X AV receiver is packed with excellent networking features but it does fall short on power delivery making our recommendation conditional based on usage.

www.audioholics.com

I'm not sure if the Crown would qualify as a "high gain" amplifier. It seems like 28dB gain or better was recommended for the A860, but I don't know if the Crown fits that criteria!
Hopefully someone with better knowledge on this topic can comment!

The Crown when using the 0.775 volt sensitivity input position has a gain of about 33dB which should be good enough.

Did you notice that the OP might not have a problem because his room is rather small. In any case, he will attempt to try it before purchasing it. If it struggles with the 603s, then he could opt for another AVR to try out.

 

[KEW]

The Crown when using the 0.775 volt sensitivity input position has a gain of about 33dB which should be good enough.

Great!
It would suck to have to replace the AVR!

 

[Verdinut]

Unfortunately, Gene found the Yamaha A860 (which is likely the exact same amp section as the A870) to be a singularly poor performing AVR when he measured it.
Making things worse, the pre-out is also weak.
Here are his comments:

Yamaha RX-A860 AVENTAGE 7.2 Atmos/DTS:X A/V Receiver Review

The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A860 7.2CH Atmos/DTS:X AV receiver is packed with excellent networking features but it does fall short on power delivery making our recommendation conditional based on usage.

www.audioholics.com

I'm not sure if the Crown would qualify as a "high gain" amplifier. It seems like 28dB gain or better was recommended for the A860, but I don't know if the Crown fits that criteria!
Hopefully someone with better knowledge on this topic can comment!

I had forgotten about that A860 was the one which really had poor pre-out voltage and over protected power amps.

 

[KEW]

I had forgotten about that A860 was the one which really had poor pre-out voltage and over protected power amps.

Yeah, even with the output switched to 8 ohms (to by-pass the 4 ohm nanny control), the AVR did not do well with 4 ohm speakers!

 

[rgbbhat72]

Thank you all for the valuable advise- So in synopsis would it be correct to say
A870 has weak preouts but can be connected to the Crown XLS 1502 and we use 0.775 volt sensitivity input position has a gain of about 33dB which should be good enough for a room of 150 sq ft
The speaker is 8 Ohms and the AVR is also defaulted to 8 Ohms- Will check again
The Crown will only amplify whatever the Yamaha is providing but on a Higher volume with no independent signature of its own.
Since the AVR replacement is difficult - that is not feasible and I have now got adjusted to the current Yamaha sound
The dealer called yesterday to inform that he cannot provide a test in the given conditions ( Lockdown in Mumbai furthered to July 31st ). So basically Leap of Faith to order it online.
Thank you all. This has been most enlightening and I am amazed at the breadth of all your information and very happy to be responded to by you all.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thank you all for the valuable advise- So in synopsis would it be correct to say
A870 has weak preouts but can be connected to the Crown XLS 1502 and we use 0.775 volt sensitivity input position has a gain of about 33dB which should be good enough for a room of 150 sq ft
The speaker is 8 Ohms and the AVR is also defaulted to 8 Ohms- Will check again
The Crown will only amplify whatever the Yamaha is providing but on a Higher volume with no independent signature of its own.
Since the AVR replacement is difficult - that is not feasible and I have now got adjusted to the current Yamaha sound
The dealer called yesterday to inform that he cannot provide a test in the given conditions ( Lockdown in Mumbai furthered to July 31st ). So basically Leap of Faith to order it online.
Thank you all. This has been most enlightening and I am amazed at the breadth of all your information and very happy to be responded to by you all.

From your earlier description of playback volume/use, seems your Yamaha suits your purposes already.

As far as speaker impedance and setting in the avr for such, you might like to read this https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/impedance-selector-switch-1

 

[rgbbhat72]

From your earlier description of playback volume/use, seems your Yamaha suits your purposes already.

As far as speaker impedance and setting in the avr for such, you might like to read this https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/impedance-selector-switch-1

Thank you for the quick revert. i will do the above read. Just on the subject of Yamaha being sufficient, since I have a BOSE 301 series V for Rear surrounds (7.0 setup ), would it be be better to change it to a Bipole speaker like the Polk FXIA4 or Fyne audio F300 Bookshelf speakers from a movies perspective. Thanks

 

[lovinthehd]

Thank you for the quick revert. i will do the above read. Just on the subject of Yamaha being sufficient, since I have a BOSE 301 series V for Rear surrounds (7.0 setup ), would it be be better to change it to a Bipole speaker like the Polk FXIA4 or Fyne audio F300 Bookshelf speakers from a movies perspective. Thanks

I prefer monopoles for surrounds myself. The 301s do a bit of reflected sound already I think and would think they're fine as rear surrounds in any case.

 

[rgbbhat72]

I prefer monopoles for surrounds myself. The 301s do a bit of reflected sound already I think and would think they're fine as rear surrounds in any case.

Thank you and Yes these are sold as Direct Reflecting speakers i think. Have a good day.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Crown XLS 1502 525W 2-channel Power Amplifier

2-channel XLS DriveCore 2 Series Power Amplifier, 525W Continuous/ch at 4 ohms, with Massive DSP, Bandpass filters, Remote Power On/off, lightweight 8.6-lb chassis

www.sweetwater.com

Good deal right now.

 

[audiophool7878]

Yeah, but didn't you just post recently that you think the differences between B&W 801 Matrix and the latest 800D series are all in peoples' heads? If you think speakers over 25 years or so sound alike, you wouldn't be a guy I'd expect to hear differences in amplifier performance. I suppose I could review lipstick, but to me it's all just red greasy stuff.

Kidding aside, my wife's various bands use Crown XLS amps for PA systems, and they're great for that. I'm on board with Class D amps for subs (they're in my subs). For my primary music system? I doubt it. Modern Class A/AB amps are so refined and so well sorted and their performance is so well understood that I'm not seeing the advantage of these Class D designs. Oh yeah, size and cost. But I don't like the artifacts they put in the signal path just above the audio range. This reminds me of the MQA versus lossless controversy. The MQA files are purported to sound just as good or better, but they're smaller, because they're lossy. I'd just rather have lossless and know what I'm getting. The Class AB versus Class D comparison reminds me of that.

crown xls are not class D. Just a heads up

 

[Verdinut]

crown xls are not class D. Just a heads up

Yes they are:

Crown XLS 1502

Meet the new XLS DriveCore™ 2 Series The next generation of XLS got a makeover with a sleek n...

www.crownaudio.com

 

[lovinthehd]

crown xls are not class D. Just a heads up

Hey buddy! Where'd you get that idea?